1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assembly used with a suspended hammock which assembly has a motorized swinging mechanism associated for imparting on the hammock in order to swing the hammock.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Nothing beats lying in a hammock with little to do but relax and maybe read a good book. Gently swaying in the breeze with the trees blocking the direct shine of the sun, a cool drink nearby, and the gentle sounds of nature is the good life indeed. What could be a more relaxing way to spend a quiet weekend afternoon. Due to the comfort and tranquillity of modern hammocks, such devices have become increasingly popular over the years. With the advent of portable hammocks and hammock frames, hammocks are no longer limited to areas where to solid trees are located an appropriate distance apart from one another, they are found almost anywhere where tranquillity beckons.
One undertaking that many hammocks users enjoy is to gently swing the hammock back and forth with the swaying motion of the hammock adding an extra level of tranquillity to the user. To achieve the swinging motion, some users simply place one foot onto the ground and use the grounded foot to push off in order to achieve swinging. While this method does result in hammock swinging, it requires the user to exert energy, which draws away somewhat from the relaxation process and also requires the user to have one foot dangling, which is not as comfortable as lying fully within the hammock bed. Others rely on another person to swing the hammock back and forth. While this situation is ideal to the hammock user, the person swinging the hammock, who may not be available in the first place, will soon tire of the undertaking and will go off to other tasks leaving the hammock user with the need to find alternate ways to swing the hammock. Another hammock swinging method is to attach a rope to one of the support structures of the hammock such that the user pulls on the rope to achieve the back and forth motion of the hammock. However, this method also requires physical exertion by the user and also proves ineffective when using a low-rise hammock support structure.
To address this need for swinging a hammock, automated swinging devices have been proposed. However, the prior art devices tend to be relatively complex in design and construction making such devices relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain. Other prior art devices, while automatically swinging the hammock, cause the swinging to be somewhat jerky and not smooth and continuous, the result being a less than completely satisfying experience. Still other devices swing the hammock at a speed that is too fast for the desires of the user, again taking away from the hammock experience.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a hammock that has automatic swinging capabilities and that overcomes the above-stated problems found in the art. Specifically such a hammock swinging system must be relatively simple in design and construction so that the device is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, purchase, and maintain. The swinging of the hammock must be smooth and steady so that the experience is highly satisfying to the hammock user. Such a system must allow for user control of the speed of the hammock in order for each user of the device to be able to set his or her own desired speed of swinging. Ideally, such a device will be relatively simple to use and operate.